MovieChat Forums > Conquest (1937) Discussion > Not One of My Favorite Garbo Films

Not One of My Favorite Garbo Films

posted 15 years ago by moonchildiva
6 replies | jump to latest

I'm Polish-American... ANYWAY, I liked her clothes in this movie but didn't think much of the way SHE looked, they didn't use her FULL power beauty to its capacity. She's one of my all-time favorites, though, I have pictures of her, books about her all over the place. I also am not a fan of Charles Boyer. BUT I love seeing Claude Gillingwater and Maria Ouspenskaya!! Maybe it's our era, but I have such a hard time believing that some dude's LUST for a woman can SAVE A COUNTRY. Weird.

[–] ozgirlfan 14 years ago

Napoleon in this movie drove me nuts. I watched half of the movie and thought to myself how can anyone stand this annoying and stupid speaking man. The French accent was horrible and I might have been less annoyed if Napoleon spoke normal English. But it is beyond me how any woman could love him and the director must of been an ignorant man in the love area to make it believable.

[–] moonchildiva 14 years ago

Boyer IS French though, right, so that's his real accent. BUT funny you should mention him today---I checked out a movie on TCM over the long weekend that he was in, and as soon as he started speaking, I yelled out, "I can't understand a WORD he's saying!!" and changed the channel. Happy New Year!!

[–] lepanto 12 years ago

For Moonchildiva, I'm trying to understand why you find C. Boyer unlistenable. I've seen almost all his Hollywood films, from Garden of Allah to Hold Back the Dawn and even his later work in such fare as Fanny and he is imminently listenable in all these films. American audiences in the 30's and 40's would not have tolerated an actor who was unlistenable due to an accent. Many famous actors from the silent era failed in the talkies because they had funny or otherwise poor sounding voices. One of the most notable of these was John Gilbert. Anyway, I think your comments were more tongue in cheek than genuine since this observation wouldn't be taken seriously by most movie afficiados...anyway, that's my considered opinion. Any comments welcomed since all opinions are subject to rebuttal. In good nature, Lepanto

[–] moonchildiva 12 years ago

No, not John Gilbert - that story is NOT TRUE. For instance, from wiki:
Mayer apparently detested Gilbert and was disgruntled that the actor had just signed an ironclad contract for six pictures at $250,000 each. It was suggested that Mayer deliberately gave Gilbert bad scripts and ineffective directors in an effort to void the contract.
AND remember, HE DIED. That's why he isn't IN many films after the silent era.
I'm just not a fan of Boyer, that's about it really. You know how it is, we're all attracted to a certain kinda someone. And I AM a John Gilbert fan.

[–] Errington_92 12 years ago

I had nothing against Boyer's voice or performance, my problem is with the characterisation of Napoleon due to the script. It was an uneven mixture of portraying him as a misunderstood leader and as a crazed dreamer wanting all of Europe's power. Came across as contradictory.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 14 years ago

Ozgril, Boyer was a French actor! You are the one who is crapulous!!

A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.